Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

The two left Changping County one after the other and traveled along a remote dirt road.

As Shen Chu followed, she silently determined the location in her mind.

He vaguely remembered this road to the southwest; it seemed to lead to a desolate mountain wilderness that few people usually ventured into.

After walking for about half an hour, Liu, who was ahead, finally slowed down.

Shen Chu also slowed down, and under the cover of night, he silently crept behind a sloping hill, only revealing his eyes to observe the movements ahead.

Ahead stood a dilapidated, abandoned temple.

The temple was small, with only one main hall and two side rooms. The entire abandoned temple was shrouded in silence, looking no different from any other abandoned temple.

But at that moment, several people were standing in the open space in front of the temple.

They were all dressed in black night clothes and wore various kinds of masks.

No one spoke, no one talked; they just stood there quietly, like lifeless sculptures, casting silent shadows in the moonlight.

Liu walked quickly to the group of people, nodded to them, and then silently joined the queue, waiting quietly like the others.

Shen Chu lay prone behind the earthen slope, holding her breath.

With a thought, he quietly activated the [Conceal Breath] skill, suppressing his aura to the minimum.

Under the cover of darkness and with the aid of his skills, he was like an inconspicuous stone, blending into the surrounding shadows.

He didn't have to wait long.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a figure appeared silently at the entrance of the deserted temple.

The man was also dressed in night clothes, but the fabric was clearly of higher quality than the others, and he wore a bronze mask.

He stood on the steps, surveying the people in the courtyard from his elevated position, and slowly asked, "Is everyone here?"

The men in black in the courtyard bowed in unison, their voices unified and solemn: "Greetings, Banner Master!"

Shen Chu's heart skipped a beat.

Flag Lord!

These two words were like a bolt of lightning, instantly illuminating the many fogs in his mind!

He had previously learned from the strange man in the green robe that the Red Lotus Sect had a so-called "August 15th" flag leader in the Changping County area, who was also the key figure he needed to find on this trip.

He had been wondering who this banner lord was, but he never expected that...

The Liu family member was actually a member of the Red Lotus Cult!

The bronze-masked man she was worshipping at that moment was the "August 15th" flag leader she was looking for!

What shocked him even more was that

The place the strange man in the green robe told him to meet Honglian was this deserted temple!

Unbeknownst to him, he had met with the flag leader of the Red Lotus Sect!

Lying behind the earthen slope, Shen Chu's heart was pounding like a drum, but her breathing was kept extremely steady.

He immediately opened his eyes wide and stared intently at everything in front of the temple.

He needed to know what this flag lord was planning to do by gathering these people in the dead of night!

the other side,

The flag lord surveyed the men in black standing solemnly in the courtyard and slowly spoke, "Tell me, how are the preparations for your respective tasks going?"

The first to speak was a man: "Reporting to the banner lord, we have thoroughly investigated the granaries in the south of the city. We have noted down the guard shift changes, the style of the locks on the granaries, and the residence of the warehouse manager. We are ready to take action at any time."

The flag lord nodded slightly and shifted his gaze to the next person.

"The situation in the north of the city is almost resolved," the second man in black interjected.

"The guards have already been infiltrated by our people. With an inside-outside attack, there shouldn't be any major problems."

The flag lord nodded again, his gaze finally settling on Liu.

Liu's body trembled slightly. She took a step forward, bowed, and her voice carried a hint of trepidation:

"Reporting back to the banner lord... we are still short of some knives."

These words immediately created a tense atmosphere.

After a moment of silence, the flag lord chuckled softly, but his voice carried a hint of coldness:

"Something's missing? I've given you so much time, and you're telling me something's still missing?"

Liu knelt down with a thud, her voice tinged with pleading:

"Please, Lord Banner Master, spare my life! I have been trying my best to raise funds, but the Li family has been keeping a close eye on us lately, especially after the eldest son, Li Chengwen, returned from Qingyang County. Because of what happened before, the Li family has started to scrutinize the warehouse's inflows and outflows with extra rigor. I dare not be too obvious, for fear of arousing his suspicion. I can only... I can only secretly instigate Li Jiwu to continue fighting with him, trying to distract him, but the effect is really limited..."

She knelt on the ground, looking into the flag lord's eerie eyes, and felt a surge of fear. She then added:

"Furthermore, Miss Li Qingning of the Li family now holds a considerable position at Qingyang Academy. If she goes too far and alarms the academy, I'm afraid..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was already quite clear.

The flag lord remained silent.

But he didn't immediately lash out; instead, he slowly paced a few steps.

The moonlight shone on his hideous bronze mask, casting a long shadow.

After a long silence, he finally let out a cold snort, his voice tinged with resentment and apprehension:

"Qingyang Academy... Hmph, one day we'll settle this score with them."

He stopped and looked at Liu, who was kneeling on the ground, and said in an icy tone:

"This time, I won't pursue your mistake. But remember this: the uprising is a matter of utmost importance and cannot afford to fail. I'll give you another half month; you must replenish the missing weapons no matter what. If you mess things up again, you know the consequences!"

Liu lay prostrate on the ground, her voice filled with the relief of surviving a disaster:

"Thank you for sparing my life, Commander! I will do my utmost and ensure that the important matter is not delayed!"

The flag lord waved his hand, signaling her to step back, then looked up at the waning moon in the night sky:

"All parties are ready, just waiting for the right opportunity to change the landscape of Changping County."

Shen Chu, lying prone behind the earthen slope, heard every word of the conversation.

His brows furrowed deeply.

What uprising?

It's just rebellion!

He originally thought that the Red Lotus Sect's schemes in Changping County were nothing more than clandestine activities such as robbing treasures and expanding their membership.

But he never imagined that their ambitions would be so great.

They're actually planning a rebellion!

As for Liu, the second wife who had been in the Li family for many years, she was actually a pawn they had planted within the Li family.

It seems her task was to procure weapons, which is why the Li family's sword-forging compound became her target.

No wonder there were fewer weapons before.

No wonder she kept stirring up trouble between Li Jiwu and Li Chengwen.

Only by creating chaos within the Li family could she have the opportunity to fish in troubled waters and secretly smuggle the weapons out!

Thinking of this, Shen Chu was startled and felt a chill rise up his spine.

In just two weeks, Changping County will descend into chaos!